Phil SumblerWhether it is just me and the pain of back to back defeats to Bournemouth and Cardiff City still sit too fresh in the memory but the words of the manager do not fill me with confidence that we are about to see a different Swansea City in tonight’s game.
His use of phrases such as “we tried to make the best use of the time” and “We haven’t been the best after international breaks” are not comments that suggest to me we are heading into the first of our nine cup finals with the mindset that we will win the game.
I totally accept that I could be reading too much into the comments of the boss but any performances in the next nine that look like the last nine and we can kiss goodbye to automatic promotion and focus on the play offs.
The nature of the defeats to Bournemouth and Cardiff were not so much the defeat itself but the fact that we never really looked like coming back into the game after the conceding of an early goal and any early goal this evening will demand a reaction from the squad that Cooper’s comments make me wonder if that mental strength is there.
As he spoke via the official club website yesterday, Cooper said “We haven’t been the best in the league in terms of results when returning from international duty, even though we did well in November (a 1-0 win over Rotherham), so we’ll be looking to do the same on Friday
“It’s a vital end to the season. It feels like there are more on the games now than there were earlier on in the season.
“We have to embrace the nine games, the challenge, our position and make the most of our opportunity, and try not to have any regrets.”
“The international break was an opportunity to get a few days off and also to get some work done on the training ground along with team meetings,” added the Swans boss.
“We’ve tried to use the time wisely.”
Cooper did add a small glimmer of positivity as he ended his comments by saying “The lads are really positive and the atmosphere is good around the place” but it does feel somewhat of an after thought rather than anything to fill us with that hope.
I guess only time will tell. The game this evening kicks off at 8pm.
The team should play as if their lives depended on them getting results and add pace and energy (we can forget the passing bit as that has long gone) not a leisurely kick around in the park on a Sunday afternoon